


Tongue Tied

by GalacticDavey



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brief mention of daddy kink, Dorks in Love, Keith and Shiro are boyfs, Keith is Thace's adopted son, Lotor is doing his best, M/M, Marriage Proposal, he gets by with a little help from his friends, this is ridiculously sappy, very brief - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 02:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13137609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticDavey/pseuds/GalacticDavey
Summary: Lotor and Thace have been together for nearly four years now. They live together, Lotor has settled into his cool new job running the local high school's theatre department, and he just bought an engagement ring without having any idea how in the hell he's going to pop the question to his boyfriend.For how much he's gotten his shit together, Lotor is still a hot mess.Based on an RP, not entirely serious.





	Tongue Tied

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DianaSolaris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianaSolaris/gifts).



> I will go down with this ship, that I promise you.

Shiro met him with a blank stare and a raised brow, waiting for the punchline. When none came, his eyes widened.

“Oh god, you’re serious.”

Lotor could only nod, head cradled in his hands as he hunched over Shiro’s kitchen table, fighting the urge to hunt down the nearest bottle of liquor and lock himself in a closet with it. This was one of the (many) unhealthy coping mechanisms he’d been working on leaving behind, and only further proof that he was either growing and changing, or that he’d been abducted by aliens and replaced with a clone. “Dead serious,” he finally rasped.

“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” His friend urged, and Lotor only groaned, ruffling his hair in frustration. How many times had Shiro asked him that same question? When was he going to learn that  _ feelings were always bad _ , even the soft, sweet, mushy ones—hell,  _ especially _ those ones—and even if he’d been having stupid mushy feelings for Thace for…

_ God _ .

“I mean, you’ve been dating for… what, three years? Almost four?” Shiro asked (not really asking at all), because at this point in their friendship, Shiro was practically a professional at being On The Same Page as Lotor, at least most of the time. “ I mean, maybe it’s a little soon, but—”

“Three years is  _ too soon _ ?” Lotor lamented. “That’s, like,  _ forever _ !”

Shiro hummed. “Yeah, I keep forgetting you’re new to the whole ‘committed relationship’ thing.” Lotor groaned, letting his head drop to the table. “Come on, leave the dramatics at work.”

“This is so stupid,” he whined. “This is stupid, right? I’m being naive. I can’t  _ ask him to marry me _ .” He didn’t see Shiro pinching the bridge of his nose, though there was the faintest smile on his lips.

“I mean, you definitely  _ can _ .”

“But I’d just embarrass myself.”

“That should be easy for you by now.”

“ _ Hey _ !”

Shiro just laughed, gently patting Lotor’s shoulder. “Hey, come on, cheer up a little. It’s not a big deal. There’s nothing wrong with thinking about it--I mean, I think that’s pretty natural. And it’s also okay to not be sure about it yet. You can take your time, think it over. There isn’t a rush. I mean, it’s not like you bought a ring already.”

Lotor pointedly avoided Shiro’s gaze.

“...Oh my god you  _ did _ .”

“ _ Listen _ —”

“Genuine question: do you just act on every stray thought you have? Like, do you have any impulse control? Scratch that,” he massaged his temples. “Thace  _ is _ your impulse control.”

He would have argued, but Shiro wasn’t  _ wrong _ .

Shiro sighed, regaining his calm. “Okay, okay. Look, I may think three years is on the fast side, but every relationship is different. Don’t freak out about the time thing.”

“How can I  _ not _ ?” Lotor asked, not lifting his head from the table. “I don’t even know how I’ve managed to keep him around  _ this _ long, and here I am thinking about  _ marriage _ .” He groaned. “And it’s still too soon—”

“Again, that’s subjective.”

“And- and-  _ marriage, Shiro _ . That’s the  _ longest _ of long-term.”

“This is correct,” Shiro deadpanned.

“I’m still in awe over  _ three years _ . I’ve never been with the same person for  _ one _ year before this. Not even one  _ month _ , usually.” He sucked in a deep breath. “And what if… what if he doesn’t even want to marry me? Like, ever?”

Shiro heaved a sigh. “What are you talking about?”

Lotor didn’t reply, pursing his lips and crossing his arms over his chest childishly, refusing to make eye contact.

Three years or not, there was still this deep-down  _ something _ in him that couldn’t shake the thought that Thace was bound to get sick of him. It was only a matter of time. As if he could read his mind (he probably could at this point), Shiro sighed.

“Not this again. You two  _ live _ together. You can’t really think he’d just drop you.”

“I  _ don’t _ , I just…” He shrugged. “I know he wouldn’t really do that, I do.”

“Good.” Shiro and Lotor both turned to see Keith leaning in the doorway. “If you didn’t know that by now, you really  _ would _ be an idiot.” He pushed away from the door frame only to make his way over and sit down in Shiro’s lap. “I mean, you two are  _ so gross _ . Always making these gooey, puppy-dog eyes when you think the other isn’t looking—”

“ _ I do not make gooey eyes. _ ”

“Yeah, you do,” Keith and Shiro responded in unison.

“So what’s the deal?” Keith asked, leaning back against Shiro with a quirked brow and a frown. “Did you guys have a fight or something?”

“No, nothing like that,” Lotor jumped to answer.  
“Then what’s the problem?”

Lotor glanced at Shiro, then to Keith, then away, pouting as he focused on literally anything besides the couple in front of him. “Are those new hand towels?”

“ _ Lotor _ .”

“You have to promise not to tell Thace.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed. “ _ What did you do _ ?”

Lotor needed that reminder that Keith would murder him if he fucked up, he really did.

“Nothing, I’m just…” He took a deep breath. “I’mthinkingaboutproposing.”

Keith stared at him for a moment, as if waiting for something. When a few moments passed and there was no follow-up, he blanched. “Oh _ god, _ you’re  _ serious _ .”

“ _ Why does everyone keep saying that _ ?”

 

Lotor shoved the little velvet box all the way to the back of his underwear drawer, hidden away until he could think all this over—and figure out  _ how _ he was even going to pop the question. It had to be perfect, after all, maybe involving like a million lit candles and scattered rose petals…

“Lo?” He whirled around, and Thace was giving him an amused, if not slightly concerned, look. “Are you okay?”

“What? Me? Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“I don’t know, but,” Thace gestured, trying not to laugh, “you’ve been staring into your underwear drawer for the last few minutes.” Lotor gasped, and quickly slammed the drawer shut. “What’s so fascinating in there?”

“Nothing,” he answered too quickly. “Just...can’t decide if I should wear any.”

Thace snorted a laugh, a light flush dusting his cheeks. “Well, I can answer  _ that _ .”

Good, he’d thrown him off the trail. “Yeah I bet you can, hot stuff,” he teased, draping his arms over Thace’s shoulders. “How was work?” Thace hummed, nuzzling Lotor’s neck.

“Long. No one wants to pay attention on Fridays, and your dad was breathing down my neck all day.”

Lotor hummed sympathetically, carding his fingers through Thace’s hair. “Would Chinese takeout, Netflix and snuggles make you feel better?” He could feel Thace grin against his neck before two arms wrapped tight around his waist.

“Yes, they would.”

He smiled and kissed Thace’s temple. “It’s a date.”

 

A few hours later, takeout boxes scattered over the coffee table, Netflix already queuing up the next episode of the medical drama they’d gotten hooked on, and Lotor combing his fingers through Thace’s hair as he dozed on his chest, he couldn’t help but contemplate the nature of  _ love _ and  _ commitment _ , all things he had never associated with himself until after a series of events involving the impulsive creation of a group chat and engaging in banter with his former teacher that could (read: should) be interpreted as flirtatious. Already certain he’d be playing the field forever, he’d written “long-term” and “settling down” off of his radar completely, until he’d stumbled into Like, then into Love about as gracefully as a newborn giraffe.

And then he was staring down three—going on four—years in one direction and The Rest Of His Life in the other, and he felt like he’d only just stopped fumbling his way through and was finally standing steady in the midst of this sweet, good thing.

It wasn’t that he was worried about Thace saying “no,” though that played its role in his anxiety. Moreso he was uncertain if he should complicate what they had with that kind of promise. Talking in future-tense was one thing, and so was making concrete long-term plans—putting on rings and signing papers and saying vows were something else entirely. It surprised him, how much it scared him.

It also surprised him how much he wanted it anyways.

Maybe it  _ was _ stupid, and naive, but it wasn’t an impulse. He generally didn’t put much stock into promises of Forever, but Thace had time and time again made himself an exception to Lotor’s efforts to guard himself against feelings, had proven that maybe  _ sometimes _ they weren’t the enemy.

So it was settled—he was going to do it.

He was going to ask Thace to be his husband.

He nudged Thace awake. “I don’t know about you, but there’s no way I’m going to sleep on this couch tonight,” he said with a smile. Thace groaned, burrowing his face into Lotor’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

_ Soon _ .

He just had to figure out  _ how _ .

 

“Come on, it can’t be  _ that _ hard,” Ezor attempted to reassure him. “You’re thinking too hard, that’s all—just do something special. Like...go out for a nice dinner, or take him somewhere romantic.”

Lotor sulked over the tub of stage makeup, tapping his pen on the list he’d been drafting. They were supposed to be taking stock of the theatre department’s supplies, but he was having trouble focusing. “Romantic, huh?”

“Yeah! You know, candles, roses, a moonlit walk through a park or something.” She shrugged, inspecting a bin of prop swords. 

“I don’t know. It all seems so... _ performative _ .” He heaved a sigh. Ezor tossed a look over her shoulder, red ponytail swaying.

“I’m sorry, glitter boy, but you’re nothing if not Extra.” She had a point. “I mean, it’s a  _ proposal _ . It’s supposed to be over-the-top and cheesy, right?”

Lotor winced, uncertain. “Maybe, but I’m trying to put a certain amount of sincerity into it, you know?”

She sighed, plopping into the seat across from him and propping her chin in her hands. “So what’s significant to you guys? You’ve been dating for forever,”  _ finally _ someone got it, “so there must be something special to you—you know, as a couple. Some inside joke, or some special event…” Ezor shrugged, throwing her arms out dramatically, nearly hitting Acxa as she walked through the door.

“Taking a break already?” She teased, lightly swatting at Narti with her own clipboard before her eyes settled on Lotor with an exasperated, if not fond, smile. “For someone who wanted to  _ save the theatre department _ you sure are taking your sweet time.”

“He’s having  _ boy trouble _ ,” Ezor explained with a grin. “He can’t figure out how to  _ propose _ .”

Acxa hummed, crossing her arms. “All this fuss over a proposal? Just ask him already. You’ve been stressing yourself out for, what, two weeks now?”

“You can’t just  _ ask _ ,” he and Ezor protested at the same time, Lotor’s head dropping into his hands.

“I’m no good at romance,” he whined. “You’d think I’d have a better grasp of it by now.”

“Maybe Thace doesn’t care about big romantic gestures,” Acxa suggested, and Ezor hissed a quiet  _ “not helping.” _

“Maybe not,” Lotor sighed, examining a contouring kit for a moment before tossing it back into the bin with the rest of them. “Or maybe I’m just really not ready for this. I mean, if I can’t even decide on  _ how _ I want to ask him…” He groaned. “It shouldn’t be this hard, right?”

“Theoretically, it’s going to be the rest of your life, of course it’s hard,” Acxa encouraged--or, tried to, at least. The blood drained from Lotor’s face. “Lotor, I’m sure Thace will be thrilled no matter what.”

“Yeah,” Ezor agreed. “Maybe you’ve noticed, but he’s sort of head over heels for you. You guys would be totally pathetic if you weren’t so  _ cute _ .”

“Exactly. Just speak from the heart.” Acxa smiled. “And also get to work, we’ve got a lot to do if we want to hold auditions on time.”

 

“Is everything alright?”

The question dragged him back to the present, where Thace was eyeing him with a healthy mix of amusement and worry. “Yes, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

Thace chuckled, though the concern was still plain in his eyes. “Dinner with your father. What wine should we bring?” Lotor nodded absently, eyes trailing from his boyfriend to the wall of bottles in front of them. “You’ve been very distracted lately. Are you sure everything's okay?”

Lotor floundered for an excuse. Damn his boyfriend for being so sweet and perceptive when he  _ really _ needed him to be oblivious. “Yeah, it’s just work, y’know? They really let the drama department fall to the wayside. There’s a lot more to be done than I’d anticipated.” Thace placed a reassuring hand on the back of his neck and he melted into the touch, practically purring.

“You’ve got this, baby,” he encouraged, leaning in to kiss Lotor’s temple, and Lotor could feel his smile against his skin. “I’m proud of you, you know that?” He preened under the praise, and leaned into Thace’s chest.

“Thank you,” he breathed, and might have dropped onto his knee right there in the liquor aisle of the grocery store if the ring wasn’t still hidden in his drawer at home. Thank goodness he had to stifle  _ that _ impulse—though popping the question surrounded by bottles of booze would be...alarmingly in-character, wouldn’t it? With an imperceptible shake of his head to dispel that train of thought, he grabbed a bottle of red wine at random and placed it in their cart. “Daddy likes to call himself a connoisseur or whatever, but he couldn’t tell Chateau Montrose from Barefoot.” Thace snorted, his fingers quickly carding through Lotor’s hair.

“Maybe if we get him drunk enough, he’ll like me for a night.”

“We’ve been talking,” Lotor offered with a wince. “He’s coming around, I promise.”

“That’s good. Maybe in another few years, the blatant disapproval will be only a mild distaste.” He chuckled, brushing a thumb over Lotor’s pouting lips. “Hey, don’t worry. He’s going to have to get used to me eventually.” The promise hidden within that gentle assurance had blood rushing to Lotor’s cheeks, and he bit the corner of his smile to keep it contained.

“That’s gay,” he replied cheerily, leaning into Thace’s side as they left the liquor aisle.

“You love me.”

“ _ I do _ .”

 

“At this rate, I’m going to ask him  _ for you _ .”

“Keith Kogane don’t you  _ dare _ ,” Lotor launched forward, pouncing on his...friend? Best friend’s boyfriend? Possibly soon-to-be step-son? Best not to think too hard about it. “Shiro, your boyfriend is plotting to sabotage my special moment!” Nevermind that he’d been agonizing over that  _ special moment _ for nearly a month now.

“Sorry, I promised he could pick on you as much as he wants in exchange for helping out today.”

“You  _ what _ ?” He snapped his gaze back to Keith, putting on his best wounded expression. “You had to be  _ bribed _ ?”

Keith rolled his eyes, listlessly sweeping his broom across the stage floor. “You think I would willingly spend my Saturday morning cleaning a dirty auditorium?”

Okay, Lotor couldn’t exactly blame him for that one. Cleaning the school theatre definitely wasn’t how he wanted to be spending his Saturday—he’d much rather be at home burning breakfast for his boyfriend (hopefully, soon, his fiancé), but  _ duty calls _ , or whatever. The auditorium was a disaster, and if he wanted to make a good impression on the people who wanted to cut funding, he needed it to be spotless.

“I really appreciate the help, guys,” he sighed, dropping his indignation, however playful it might have been, as he emptied his dustpan into a trash bin.

Shiro laughs a little bit as he attempts to scrub the stain out of a seat’s upholstery. “No problem. They certainly didn’t try to make this any  _ easier _ for you.”

A portion of the school board had been fighting to do away with the theatre program after the last director had stepped down. Lotor applied to fill in the position, and a determined few managed to keep it around, but only by a thread—and even with their help, those who wanted to cut funding had made sure that getting the program up and running again would be difficult; that way, if everything fell through, they would be given a convenient excuse to finally shut it down, with Lotor as their scapegoat.

Or, he would be, if he weren’t so determined to pull this off and make every member of the school board that had set him up thinking he would fail  _ fucking eat it _ .

“Yeah, I sure am lucky to have such wonderful, loving friends who are willing to help me when the universe is against me—”

“Stop sucking up,” Keith grouched, though his glare was tinged with amusement. “What’s your zodiac sign again?  _ Dramatic _ ?”

“How’d you know?”

“Definitely has nothing to do with you sitting on your ring for a  _ month _ ,” Keith snarked good-naturedly. “I get wanting it to be special, but I think you’re making this way too hard on yourself.”

“I know, but I just need it to be—”

“Perfect?” Keith interrupted with a quirked brow. Lotor shut his mouth so quickly his teeth clicked. “When have you ever needed to be  _ perfect _ for Thace? He fell in love with you when you were a walking disaster. Just ask him already.”

“Ask me what?”

Three pairs of eyes snapped onto the doorway, where Thace stood with a McDonald’s bag and a quizzical expression on his face. No one said anything for a long moment; then Keith mumbled a soft “busted” out of the corner of his mouth and scooted away with his broom. Shiro cleared his throat before following his boyfriend into the hall outside the auditorium, leaving Lotor and Thace alone.

“Lotor. Ask me what?”

“If I’ve told you lately that I love you?”

He was met with a mildly amused scowl. “ _ Lo _ .”

Lotor floundered for an excuse, any excuse, but failed. “It’s a  _ surprise _ ,” he finally managed to reply, lips beginning to curve into a pout.

“You’re conspiring with my son for some kind of surprise? That sounds like trouble.” Thace smiled, and Lotor couldn’t help but return it, hopping down from the stage to rush over to him and throw his arms around Thace’s neck.

“You know us so well,” he teased, pressing kisses to his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Someone has to be the responsible adult of the bunch.”

“And you’re so good at it.”

“Flattery won’t work on me,” Thace lied. “Also,” he held up the paper bag, “just thought I’d bring lunch. Didn’t mean to ruin any surprises.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Lotor replied with a chuckle. Dating had been enough of a trial, Thace probably didn’t anticipate a proposal happening anytime soon, if he  _ ever _ thought it would happen. If he ever thought about it at all. “And thank you, baby.”

“All part of my plot to be a better daddy than Zarkon.”

“Kinks and my father should not be mentioned in the same sentence.” Thace eyed him hopefully. “But you  _ are _ , without a doubt.” He absolutely beamed.

“Good. Let’s eat.”

“I feel like I should be a little more concerned about your competition with my father.”

“Shhh don’t worry about it.”

 

Thace knew something was up. His mild concern was shifting into full-fledged Worry, and Lotor was running out of excuses, running out of ways to assure Thace that he really was okay without just proclaiming that he was  _ freaking out a little bit  _ (a lot)  _ over asking him to be his husband _ .

He had to end this. The little velvet box mocked him from the back corner of his dresser drawer, and every time he picked it up it felt heavier and heavier.

It was time. He could do this.

He stared down the oven, taking a sip of strawberry vodka to take the edge off. Okay, maybe it was a shot. And a half. Just enough to stop his hands from shaking.

Today, he was going to conquer the fucking kitchen.

He could make spaghetti, right? It was just boiling some water, heating up some sauce--basic shit. Lotor could handle spaghetti. No problem.

And it really was going well, until he stepped away from the stove for just a  _ minute _ to straighten out the table cloth he’d put down and set out the plates. He walked back into the kitchen just as the tomato sauce  _ burst into flames _ because he was fucking  _ cursed _ .

Of course, Thace chose that moment to walk in, because of course he got off work early today of all days.

Lotor somehow managed to blanch and blush at the same time, horrified and humiliated as he grabbed the flaming pot and dropped it into the sink, running the faucet to put out the flames. The initial panic on Thace’s face melted away to confusion once the crisis was averted and there was no longer a risk of his house burning to ashes.

“I thought we agreed that cooking would be a team effort,” he teased, hanging up his coat by the door. “Are you alright? You didn’t burn yourself did you?” Lotor shook his head, and Thace snorted a quiet laugh, wrapping an arm around Lotor’s shoulders and inspecting the contents of the remaining pot.

“It’s spaghetti,” Lotor explained, rubbing bashfully at his cheek.

“I think there’s another jar of sauce in the cabinet,” Thace offered, sympathetic. “We can save this.” His confident smile made Lotor’s heart flutter, and he reached to stir the pasta and found the spoon was stuck. With a tug, he pulled it free, along with the noodles all glued together in a lump. “Oh, dear. You forgot to stir, love.”

Lotor swore sharply, leaning against the counter in defeat and hiding his face in his hands. His eyes stung hot, but with a few deep breaths he could will the tears not to fall. The only thing more embarrassing than fucking up dinner beyond any hope of repair would be  _ crying  _ over it. He didn’t have a chance to blink the tears away completely before there were gentle hands holding his wrists, pulling his hands away from his red face and shiny eyes, and Thace made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a laugh.

“Lo, honey,” he soothed, pressing their foreheads together. “It’s okay. We can make something else, together. No need to cry over burnt dinner, right?” Thace was so wonderfully, impossibly sweet, it almost made him want to cry  _ more _ .

“It’s not  _ about _ dinner,” he groaned, voice thick as he swiped at his eyes.

Thace put just enough space between them that he could look him over, as if he could figure out exactly what the hell was going on just by looking at him.

“What is it about, then?”

Lotor sniffled, and glanced away, unable to answer.

“Lotor.”

Oh, boy, that was his Serious Voice. He glanced at Thace, biting his lower lip to keep it from trembling. He didn’t look angry--only worried, brows knit tight. Out of habit, Lotor reached up to smooth out the crease with his thumb, relaxing a bit as the gesture made Thace’s lips twitch into a faint smile.

“I’ve been patient,” he continued, tone softened a bit. “I know you have trouble talking about things sometimes, but Lo, you’ve been acting strange for weeks. Please tell me what’s going on.”

Lotor wanted to tell him everything, but words were impossible. He was still all choked up with tears, and trying to explain would be too embarrassing. With a defeated sigh, he reached into his pocket and fished out the ring box, pressing it into Thace’s palm as he hid his face in his boyfriend’s shoulder, as much for the familiar comfort of his embrace as it was to avoid trying to analyze Thace’s expression while he opened the box. If he watched, he’d end up running away.

Thace went very, very still, even holding his breath for a moment, but Lotor felt it when his pulse began to pick up. “Is this…?” He trailed off, and Lotor just nodded into his shoulder.

“I’ve just been trying to think of how to ask, but nothing felt  _ good _ enough.”

Arms were wrapped tight around him, and he could feel Thace laughing. “You’ve always been good enough.” He pulled back, smiling at Lotor in disbelief. “You know I thought it was going to be  _ years _ still before I could even bring up marriage? And I was sure I’d have to  _ beg _ .”

Lotor felt his own heart stutter. “So…?”

“ _ Yes _ ,” Thace shook his head, beaming. “Of course the answer is yes.” Lotor felt like he would collapse from relief--luckily he didn’t have to worry about hitting the ground with Thace right there holding onto him, peppering his face in elated kisses. “Is that vodka I smell?”

“...I was  _ nervous _ .”

Thace’s sigh was filled with affection, and he pressed a slow kiss to Lotor’s mouth, smiling into it. “Come on, glitter-boy,” he murmured. “You’re helping me clean up the kitchen.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for joining me on this crack ship, and I really hope you enjoyed! <3 
> 
> Feel free to hit me up on tumblr (galactic-davey)!


End file.
